Zadie Smith

The one and only Zadie Smith, prize-winning, bestselling author of Swing Time and White Teeth, is back with a second unmissable collection of essays 'Should you read this brilliant book? Absolutely' Independent 'Generous, curious, insistent on the possibility of imaginative connection' Evening Standard No subject is too fringe or too mainstream for Zadie Smith's insatiable curiosity. From social media to the environment, from Jay-Z to Karl Ove Knausgaard, she has endless enthusiasmand the boundless wit, insight and wisdom to match. In Feel Free, pop culture, high culture, social change and political debate all get the Zadie Smith treatment, dissected with razor-sharp intellect, set brilliantly against the context of the utterly contemporary, and considered with a deep humanity and compassion. This electrifying new collection showcases its author as a true literary powerhouse, demonstrating once again her credentials as an essential voice of her generation. 'Lively, intelligent and frequently hilarious, [it] proves that she's one of the brightest minds in English literature today' NPR 'Smart, spirited and distinctive' Wall Street Journal 'She is the book nerd, the culture geek, reading, hearing and seeing, and dying to talk to somebody about it' Guardian

Winner of the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Notable Book From Zadie Smith, one of the most beloved authors of her generation, a new collection of essays Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago, Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world's preeminent fiction writers, but also a brilliant and singular essayist. She contributes regularly to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a range of subjects, and each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right. Arranged into five sections--In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free--this new collection poses questions we immediately recognize. What is The Social Network--and Facebook itself--really about? "It's a cruel portrait of us: 500 million sentient people entrapped in the recent careless thoughts of a Harvard sophomore." Why do we love libraries? "Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay." What will we tell our granddaughters about our collective failure to address global warming? "So I might say to her, look: the thing you have to appreciate is that we'd just been through a century of relativism and deconstruction, in which we were informed that most of our fondest-held principles were either uncertain or simple wishful thinking, and in many areas of our lives we had already been asked to accept that nothing is essential and everything changes--and this had taken the fight out of us somewhat." Gathering in one place for the first time previously unpublished work, as well as already classic essays, such as, "Joy," and, "Find Your Beach," Feel Free offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics, as well as Smith's own life. Equally at home in the world of good books and bad politics, Brooklyn-born rappers and the work of Swiss novelists, she is by turns wry, heartfelt, indignant, and incisive--and never any less than perfect company. This is literary journalism at its zenith. Zadie Smith's new book, Grand Union, is on sale 10/8/2019.

De två flickorna växer upp tillsammans i norra London och älskar dans. Den ena har talang, den andra har idéer, drömmen om framgång lever för dem båda. Men när deras vägar korsas igen i vuxen ålder har tiden förändrat dem. Med Swing time har Zadie Smith skrivit en stor och oemotståndlig samtidsroman; en globaliserad berättelse om dans och rasism, vänskap och rotlöshet.» Det kan mycket väl vara Zadie Smiths största triumf hittills«, skrev Expressen om den engelska originalutgåvan.

Winner of the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism A New York Times Notable Book From Zadie Smith, one of the most beloved authors of her generation, a new collection of essays Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago, Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world's preeminent fiction writers, but also a brilliant and singular essayist. She contributes regularly to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a range of subjects, and each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right. Arranged into five sections--In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free--this new collection poses questions we immediately recognize. What is The Social Network--and Facebook itself--really about? "It's a cruel portrait of us: 500 million sentient people entrapped in the recent careless thoughts of a Harvard sophomore." Why do we love libraries? "Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay." What will we tell our granddaughters about our collective failure to address global warming? "So I might say to her, look: the thing you have to appreciate is that we'd just been through a century of relativism and deconstruction, in which we were informed that most of our fondest-held principles were either uncertain or simple wishful thinking, and in many areas of our lives we had already been asked to accept that nothing is essential and everything changes--and this had taken the fight out of us somewhat." Gathering in one place for the first time previously unpublished work, as well as already classic essays, such as, "Joy," and, "Find Your Beach," Feel Free offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics, as well as Smith's own life. Equally at home in the world of good books and bad politics, Brooklyn-born rappers and the work of Swiss novelists, she is by turns wry, heartfelt, indignant, and incisive--and never any less than perfect company. This is literary journalism at its zenith. Zadie Smith's new book, Grand Union, is on sale 10/8/2019.

I denne prisbelønte romanen møter vi familiene Jones, Iqbal og Chalfen. Tre familier på tampen av det 20. århundre. Når deres veier krysser hverandre og deres sønner og døtre kysser hverandre, aktiviseres rasemotsetninger, klasseforskjeller og religiøse konflikter. Zadie Smith mestrer en unik kombinasjon av humor og ettertanke, som gjør bokens temaer aktuelle i alle land der mennesker med ulik kulturbakgrunn skal leve sammen.

När Archie Jones försöker ta sitt liv i sin Cavalier Musketeer nyårsmorgonen 1975 men förhindras av en slaktare (som ogillar att sådana saker utspelar sig framför hans affär när han väntar en morgontidig leverans) så förändras Archies liv för all framtid. Han kliver ur sin bil och vandrar förvirrad och tyngd av sitt nyligen kraschade äktenskap in på en efterfest där han möter den svindlande vackra jamaicanskan Clara Bowden. Hon är 19, han är 47. Hon är en bra bit längre än honom och saknar sina framtänder efter en motorcykelolycka. Hon är övergiven och ett f d Jehovas vittne men all tro på en frälsare har inte hunnit förångats. Kanske är det därför inte så oförklarligt att Clara Bowden i Archie Jones såg något mer än bara en ganska kort, ganska lönnfet medelålders vit man i en illa sydd kostym. Clara såg Archie med förlustens grågröna ögon; hennes värld hade just försvunnit, den tro hon levt med hade dragit sig tillbaka som ett tidvatten, och Archie hade av en ren slump blivit den som man skämtade om: den siste mannen på jorden. Sex veckor senare är de gifta. Så inleds Vita tänder, succéromanen som utspelar sig framför allt i en myllrande del av norra London. I denna multikulturella stadsdel möts medlemmar av familjerna Jones, Iqbal och Chalfens, och trots alla olikheter – hudfärg, religion, bakgrund – så vävs dessa egenartade människors liv samman och bildar en varken smärtfri eller förutsägbar berättelse. Berättelsens ram är vänskapen mellan två omaka män, Archie Jones och Samad Iqbal, som träffas under andra världskriget och blir varandras grannar och följeslagare, mycket tack vare sina färgstarka fruar och barn. Historien spänner över ett halvt sekel, över stora som små ämnen, och bildar en bitsk, sprakande och oavbrutet underhållande upplevelse." Millenniets första sensation i bokvärlden." The Observer"Hennes roman är lysande." SvD

"Smith's thrilling cultural insights never overshadow the wholeness of her characters, who are so keenly observed that one feels witness to their lives." --O, The Oprah Magazine "A sweeping meditation on art, race, and identity that may be Smith's] most ambitious work yet." --Esquire A New York Times bestseller - Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction - Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize An ambitious, exuberant new novel moving from North West London to West Africa, from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth and On Beauty. Two brown girls dream of being dancers--but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either. Tracey makes it to the chorus line but struggles with adult life, while her friend leaves the old neighborhood behind, traveling the world as an assistant to a famous singer, Aimee, observing close up how the one percent live. But when Aimee develops grand philanthropic ambitions, the story moves from London to West Africa, where diaspora tourists travel back in time to find their roots, young men risk their lives to escape into a different future, the women dance just like Tracey--the same twists, the same shakes--and the origins of a profound inequality are not a matter of distant history, but a present dance to the music of time. Zadie Smith's newest book, Grand Union, published in 2019.

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2017'Smith's finest. Extraordinary, truly marvellous' Observer A dazzlingly exuberant novel moving from north west London to West Africa, from the critically acclaimed author of White Teeth, On Beauty and Grand Union Two brown girls dream of being dancers - but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, black bodies and black music, what it means to belong, what it means to be free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten either. Bursting with energy, rhythm and movement, Swing Time is Zadie Smith's most ambitious novel yet. It is a story about music and identity, race and class, those who follow the dance and those who lead it . . .'Superb' Financial Times 'Breathtaking' TLS 'Pitch-perfect' Daily Telegraph'There is still no better chronicler of the modern British family than Zadie Smith' Telegraph

Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is a story about friendship and music and true identity, how they shape us and how we can survive them. Moving from north-west London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time. Two brown girls dream of being dancers - but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either...

One of the most iconic fictional debuts of all time turns 25 this year!‘What’s past is prologue…’First published in the year 2000, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth was one of the most celebrated novels of the new millennium. Adored by critics and readers alike, it remains a perennial bestseller, which still delights with the audacity of its scope and vision, its fresh-minted style, and the wit and warmth of its voice. Funny, generous and big-hearted, it deals – among many other things – with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle. A life affirming, riotous must-read of a book, it won the Guardian First Book Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread First Novel Award.‘Curl up with it, savour every sentence, then turn around and reread’ The Times‘The outstanding debut of the new millennium’ Observe

"Vahva, monitahoinen romaani... Rikas ja kiehtova..." – Publishers WeeklyZadie Smithin kunnianhimoinen, runsas romaani Swing Time vie lukijaa monikulttuurisesta Lontoosta rujonkauniiseen Afrikkaan. Kaksi kullanruskeaa tyttöä haaveilee tulevansa tanssijaksi, mutta vain toisella, Traceylla, on siihen lahjoja. Ympäristö asettaa menestykselle rajat eikä köyhyyden kierrettä niin vain katkaista. Lyhyen tanssijanuran jälkeen vuokrakasarmit sulkevat Traceyn taas sisäänsä. Nimettömäksi jäävällä kertojalla taas on koulutusta, sosiaalista omaatuntoa ja vapaus lähteä, mutta hän valitsee uran poptähti Aimeen avustajana, varjoelämän. Elämää kuhisevan Lontoon svengaavasta ilmapiiristä hän siirtyy Aimeen etuoikeutettuun tiimiin, New Yorkiin ja sitten Länsi-Afrikkaan perustamaan tytöille koulua. Traceyn ja kertojan välinen ystävyys särkyy, mutta toisistaan he eivät irti pääse. Säkenöivä ja syvästi inhimillinen Swing Time on romaani ystävyyden voimasta, musiikista yli rajojen ja sitkeistä juurista, jotka ankkuroivat ihmisen aikaansa ja omaan itseensä. Zadie Smith (s. 1975) on brittikirjailija, joka tunnetaan Lontoon NW-alueelle sijoittuvista urbaaneista, monikulttuurisista ja sosiaalisesti tarkkanäköisistä romaaneistaan. Zadie Smith debytoi hämmentävän kypsällä ja herkkävaistoisella romaanillaan Valkoiset hampaat (suom. 2001). Terävä, lontoolaista juutalaisyhteisöä tarkasteleva Nimikirjoitusmies suomennettiin vuonna 2004. Täyteläisen moniääninen Kauneudesta (suom. 2006) palkittiin mm. Orange-palkinnolla ja Man Booker -ehdokkuudella. Kokeileva Risteymiä (suom. 2013) on pirstaleisen modernin maailman kuvaus ja Smithin neljäs romaani. Zadie Smith perheineen asuu New Yorkissa.

A 2012 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist - One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2012 - One of TIME's Top 10 Fiction Books of 2012 - One of The Wall Street Journal's Best 10 Fiction Books of 2012 - A New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of 2012 " NW] is that rare thing, a book that is radical and passionate and real." --Anne Enright, The New York Times Book Review "A triumph . . . As Smith threads together her characters' inner and outer worlds, every sentence sings." --The Guardian "A powerful portrait of class and identity in multicultural London." --Entertainment Weekly Set in northwest London, Zadie Smith's brilliant tragicomic novel follows four locals--Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan--as they try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the council estate of their childhood. In private houses and public parks, at work and at play, these Londoners inhabit a complicated place, as beautiful as it is brutal, where the thoroughfares hide the back alleys and taking the high road can sometimes lead you to a dead end. Depicting the modern urban zone--familiar to city-dwellers everywhere--NW is a quietly devastating novel of encounters, mercurial and vital, like the city itself.

"NW" is Zadie Smith's masterful novel about London life. Zadie Smith's brilliant tragi-comic "NW" follows four Londoners - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan - after they've left their childhood council estate, grown up and moved on to different lives. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their city is brutal, beautiful and complicated. Yet after a chance encounter they each find that the choices they've made, the people they once were and are now, can suddenly, rapidly unravel. A portrait of modern urban life, "NW" is funny, sad and urgent - as brimming with vitality as the city itself. Praise for "NW": "Her dialogue sings and soars; terse, packed and sassy. Smith is simply wonderful: Dickens' legitimate daughter". (Boyd Tonkin, "Independent"). "Astonishing, dazzling. Really - without exaggeration - not since Dickens has there been a better observer of London scenes. Zadie Smith is a genius. It's hard to imagine a better novel this year - or this decade". (A. N. Wilson). "Intensely funny, richly varied, always unexpected. A joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece. No better English novel will be published this year". (Philip Hensher, "Daily Telegraph")." Absolutely brilliant. So electrically authentic". ("Time"). "Captivating. Funny, sexy, weird, full of acute social comedy, like London. She's up there with the best around". ("Evening Standard"). "Marvellous ...crackles with reflections on race, music and migration. A lyrical fiction for our times". ("Spectator"). "Undeniably brilliant ...rush out and buy this book". ("Observer"). Zadie Smith was born in north-west London in 1975. She is the author of the novels "White Teeth", "The Autograph Man" and "On Beauty", and of a collection of essays, "Changing My Mind". She is also the editor of "The Book of Other People".

NW is Zadie Smith's masterful novel about London life. Zadie Smith's brilliant tragi-comic NW follows four Londoners - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan - after they've left their childhood council estate, grown up and moved on to different lives. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their city is brutal, beautiful and complicated. Yet after a chance encounter they each find that the choices they've made, the people they once were and are now, can suddenly, rapidly unravel. A portrait of modern urban life, NW is funny, sad and urgent - as brimming with vitality as the city itself. Praise for NW: "Her dialogue sings and soars; terse, packed and sassy. Smith is simply wonderful: Dickens's legitimate daughter". (Boyd Tonkin, Independent). "Astonishing, dazzling. Really - without exaggeration - not since Dickens has there been a better observer of London scenes. Zadie Smith is a genius. It's hard to imagine a better novel this year - or this decade". (A. N. Wilson). "Intensely funny, richly varied, always unexpected. A joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece. No better English novel will be published this year". (Philip Hensher, Daily Telegraph). "Absolutely brilliant. So electrically authentic". (TIME). "Captivating. Funny, sexy, weird, full of acute social comedy, like London. She's up there with the best around". (Evening Standard). "Marvellous ...crackles with reflections on race, music and migration. A lyrical fiction for our times". (Spectator). "Undeniably brilliant ...rush out and buy this book". (Observer). Zadie Smith was born in north-west London in 1975. She is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man and On Beauty, and of a collection of essays, Changing My Mind. She is also the editor of The Book of Other People.

In any 24 hours there might be sleeping, eating, kids, parents, friends, lovers, work, school, travel, deadlines, emails, phone calls, Facebook, Twitter, the news, the TV, Playstation, music, movies, sport, responsibilities, passions, desires, dreams. Why should you stop what you're doing and read a book? People have always needed stories. We need literature - novels, poetry - because we need to make sense of our lives, test our depths, understand our joys and discover what humans are capable of. Great books can provide companionship when we are lonely or peacefulness in the midst of an overcrowded daily life. Reading provides a unique kind of pleasure and no-one should live without it. In the ten essays in this book some of our finest authors and passionate advocates from the worlds of science, publishing, technology and social enterprise tell us about the experience of reading, why access to books should never be taken forgranted, how reading transforms our brains, and how literature can save lives. In any 24 hours there are so many demands on your time and attention - make books one of them. Carmen Callil Tim ParksNicholas Carr Michael RosenJane Davis Zadie SmithMark Haddon Jeanette WintersonBlake Morrison Dr Maryanne Wolf & Dr Mirit Barzillai